Carbide feed mechanism for batteries of acetylene generators



4, 1949. 1 HQQPER 2,457,894

CARBIDE FEED MECHANISM FOR BATTERIES OF ACETYLENE GENERATORS Filed April12, 1945 q L19 44 32 a 32 [5 V ,5 42 a 1:? I 7 1 .12

v 14* "/2 if 7 w 7 7 E J0- i Z 32 f E a E HARRY HOOPER M'AITORNEYS,

Patented Jan. 4, 1949 CARBIDE FEED MECHANISM FOR BAT- TERIES OFACETYLENE GENERATORS Harry Hooper, New York, N. Y., assignor to AirReduction Company, Incorporated, a corporation of New York ApplicationApril 12, 1945, Serial No. 588,019

14 Claims. 48-38) 1 This invention relates to acetylene generators.Certain type of acetylene generators of the carbide to water type havemotor-operated means for feeding carbide into the water controlled bythe pressure of the generated acetylene gas so that when the gaspressure reaches a predetermined high level the feeding of carbideceases and is resumed when the gas pressure drops a small amount. In awell-known type of genof another generator. Moreover a pressurereduction in the gas line sufllcient to start the carbide 'feedmechanisms of the generators, and which theoretically should start themall at the same time, may not actually start them simultaneously, dueeither to the above mentioned unavoidable variation in theirconstructional and erator the carbide feed motor is a motor of theweight-operated type having an adjustable centrifugal governor tocontrol the speed of the motor and cause it to feed the carbide at apredetermined substantially uniform rate.

Acetylene generators are frequently used in groups or batteries to feedone gas line. When so used it is desirable that their charges of carbidebecome exhausted in regular sequence so that one generator at a time canbe shut off from erators back in service as soon as possible. For

instance, for fear that the load on the other generators may become toogreat, or that another one of the generators might become exhausted tooclosely on the heels of the exhausted generator or generators then beingserviced, the attendant may try to save time by omitting some operationwhich should be performed if time allowed, such as changing the water inthe exhausted generator or generators.

While exhaustion of the generators in succession and at substantiallyregular intervals is highly desirable, for the reasons above given,nevertheless this does not necessarily occur, or continue to occur, evenwhen the generators'are originally charged and connected to the gas linesuccessively and at regular intervals. This is due to the fact that itis dimcult to make the carbide feed mechanisms of all the generatorsexactly alike in construction and operation, due among other things tothe fact that they necessarily operate between narrow pressure limits,and therefore the variation in constructional and operationalcharacteristics may permit the carbide feed mechanism of one generatorto operatev at a somewhat slower or faster speed than that operationalcharacteristics or to the fact that the pressure reduction in the gasline is not felt simultaneously in all of the generators. These thingssingly or in combination tend to disrupt the synchonism or coordinationwith which the several carbide feed mechanisms must necessarily operateif the charges of carbide in the generators are to be continuously,exhausted in regular sequence.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide meansforcontrolling the carbide feed mechanisms of a battery of generators insuch a way that their charges of carbide are exhausted in succession androtation and at substantially regular intervals.

A further object is to provide controlling means for the purpose statedwhich is particularly adapted for use in connection with a battery ofgenerators of the type in which the carbide feed mechanism has a motorof the weight-operated type.

According to the invention there is combined with a battery of acetylenegenerators master control mechanism which is itself controlled by thepressure in the acetylene gas line for causing the carbide feedmechanisms of all of the generators to start simultaneously when thepressure in the gas line is reduced to a predetermined value and tosimultaneously stop when the pressure. in the gas line again builds upto a predetermined maximum, and for causing all of the feed mechanismswhen once simultaneously started to oper ate at substantially the samespeed and feed carbide at substantially the same rate, whereby thegenerators will continue to become exhausted of their carbide charges inthe intended successive manner at substantially regular intervals.

The invention will be described as applied to a battery of generators ofthe type having carbide feed mechanism operated by a weight-motor whosespeed is controlled by a centrifugal governor and whose starting andstopping is controlled by the pressure of the generated acetylene, sincethis is probably the most common type of generator, but the, inventionin its broader aspects is not limited in its use to generators of thisparticular type. Y

larged scale to show more of the details of construction, the showinghowever still being more or less diagrammatic, l

' Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line3-3ofFigure 2, and

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken onthelinel-lofFigure2.

The battery of generators shown .in Figure 1 comprises four generatorsI, 2, 3 and 4, but, of course, anydesired number may be included in thebattery. All of the generators are connected brake arm it engages-'-lene is withdrawn from the generator faster'than it is generated, thepressure will continue .to drop until a lower arm 25 on the brake leverengages the brake drum l1 and stops the feed motor, thus preventing thefurther feeding of carbide.

This occurs when the generator is being operated in excess of its ratedcapacity, or when the carbide charge has become exhausted.

The generated acetylene leaves the generator through a pipe section onwhich connects with a check valve 26. After passing the check valve thegas flows through a flash arrester 21, then to a common gas linerepresented at 5. 1 'Each generator feeds the gas line through a branchpipe 6 controlled by a valve 1 by means of which that particulargenerator can be disconnected from the gas line when itis desired torecharge it with carbide.

The generators illustrated are of the type shown in the patent to GeorgeM. Deming No. 2,085,084 issued June 29, 1937. It is. sufficient for anunderstanding of the present invention to know that each generator has afeed hopper 8 for the carbide (Fig. 2) which is fed into the water inthe generator by slow rotation of a feed disc 9. The disc is connectedto a shaft in which is rotated by a weight-motor in the housing II andsupported on the generator by a bridge or frame l2. The motor includesmechanism in the housing I lfor rotating the shaft in, which mechanism,in turn, is operated by a weight [3 moving in a cage i3 and hung at thethrough a pipe section 8b to the gas line 5. The pipe sections 80 and 6bcorrespond to the singlebranch pipe 3 of Fig. l, the above describedshutoff valve I in the branch pipe being. shown in Fig. 2 in the pipesection 6b just above the flash arrester.

The carbide charge of a generator of the' above described type usuallybecomes exhausted, or nearly so, at about the time the weight l3 reachesthe lower limit of its travel. Fig. 1 shows the weights or the fourgenerators in such relative positions that the generators will becomeexhausted successively at substantially regular intervals. Generator No.l is about ready to be recharged because its weight has nearly reachedthe lower limit of its traveland generators 2, 3 and 4 will becomesuccessively exhausted in the order named. In recharging an exhaustedgenerator the operator closes its shut-off valve I to disconnect thegenerator from the gas line 5, changes the water, refills the hopperwith carbide, winds up the weight-motor until the weight is at the upperlimit of its travel, and he is supposedv to attend to various otherthings before connecting the generator back to the gas line, such aspurging air, etc. If the generators conend of a flexible cable II whichpasses over a tinued to become exhausted one at a time and sheave i5rotatably supported on the frame l2. Since the motor itself is of awell-known type it is shown only diagrammatically, it being sufllcientto note that the motor is not only geared to the feed shaft I 0 torotate it, but is also geared to a governor shaft one end of which isshown at IS in Fig. 2. This shaft has an adjustable centrifugal governoras shown in the above-mentioned Deming patent to cause the weight-motorto turn the feed shaft III at a predetermined uniform speed. Thegovernor shaft l6 also has a brake drum l1 adapted to be engaged by anarm l8 of a brake lever pivotally supported at l9. Another arm 20 of thebrake lever is pivotally connected to the upper end of a rod 2| whoselower end is operatively connected to a pivoted lever 22 actuated by apressure responsive device or regulator 23. The regulator is ofconventional design and contains diaphragms or other pressure operatedmeans which move a rod 24 pivotally connected to the lever 22. Theregulator is in communication with the interior of the generator andtherefore subject to the pressure of the generated acetylene gas. Whenthe pressure of the gas reaches a predetermined high level, say 14 p. s.i., the regulator operates to move the lever 22 upwardly and through therod 2| to swing the brake lever about its pivot and press its arm 18against the brake drum II. This stops the feed motor and the feeding ofcarbide ceases. When the generator pressure drops a small amount due towithdrawal of gas from the enerator the brake is released and thefeeding of carbide is resumed and continues as long as the gas pressureis less thanthat at which the at substantially regular intervals, in theorder shown in Fig. 1, or in any other order, the operator could devotehis entire attention to the one exhausted generator and take sufiicienttime to perform all the steps which he should rightfully perform beforeconnecting it back to the gas line, but as above explained, this mayordinarily not happen and the carbide feed mechanisms therefore may losetheir desired synchronous or coordinated operation so that two or evenmore of the generators may become exhausted at one time.

To prevent this and to insure that the generators continue to becomeexhausted singly and at substantially regular intervals, there isprovided a control shaft 28 extending along the series of generators andhaving a series of sprockets 29, one for each of the generators.

Each sprocket is loosely mounted on the shaft and carries a pawl 30(Fig. 3) which is spring pressed into engagement with aratchet wheel 3ikeyed to the shaft. A chain 32 passes over each sprocket. One end ofeach chain is coning generator is wound up to lift its weight 13;

but if the control shaft is stationary, the sprockets cannot turn in aclockwise direction, and hence all of the motor weights l3 are heldagainst downward movement. If the control shaft is ts brakedrum;If-acetyrotatingin a clcokwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 3) it isobvious that each sprocket can rotate clockwise and allow thecorresponding motor weight It to descend.

The shaft 28 may be rotated in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig.3) by its own weightmotor 34 which may be similar to theweightmotor ineach of the generators that operates its carbide feeding disc. Theweight-motor 24 may rotate the control shaft 28 through suitable gearingrepresented at 85 and may be wound up by applying a handle to thesquared end of a shaft 38 which when turned will wind the cable 21 onits drum and lift the weight ll of.the motor,

suitable ratchet mechanism being employed to permit this withoutimparting reverse rotation to the control shaft 28.

The weight-motor 34 is also geared to-a governor shaft 29 on which thereis an adjustable centrifugal governor 4| which may be similar tomovement of the weights by the centrifugal action. The governor maytherefore be adjusted by adjusting the position of the collar d to varythe tension of .the spring. The governor shaft 38 also carries a brakedrum ll. A pressure re-' sponsive device or regulator 42, which maybesimilar to the regulator 23 on each generator, communicates with the gasline i and through brake mechanism 13-44-45 similar to that alreadydescribed for stopping the carbide feed motor of each generator, (seeFig. 4) brakes the drum ll and holds the control shaft from rotatinguntil the pressure in the gasline falls below a predetermined value andthen the brake is released topermit the weight-motor 34 to rotate thecontrol shaft at a predetermined uniform speed which depends upon theadjustment of the centrifugal governor 40.

The regulator 42 is so adjusted that, through the brake mechanism whichit actuates, it holds the control shaft 28 from rotating until thepressure in the gas line falls to a value a little lower than the gaspressure at which the carbide feed motors on the generators are supposedto go into operation. For instance, if the regulator 23 on .eachgenerator is set to cause the carbide feed motor to start feedingcarbide when the gas pressure in the generator falls slightly below 14lbs., then the regulator 42 is set to permit the control shaft to startrotating when the pressure in the gas line falls to say 13 lbs.

It will now be seen that when the pressure in the gas line is about 13lbs. or more, the control shaft is stationary and since the sprockets 29can then not rotate clockwise (as viewed in Fig. 3) none of the motorweights on the generators can descend and hence none of the carbide feedmotors will operate. Even though the pressure in the gas line falls to avalue at which the indi'- vidual feed mechanisms are set to startoperating, and even though the feed mechanisms under usual conditionswould then start (but probably not simultaneously for the reasonsalready given), no one of them can start operating until the pressure inthe gas line falls to the still lower 'value of around 13 lbs. and thenthe control shaft will. start rotating to permit all of the motorweights to start descending at one and the sametime. Thus all of thefeed mechanisms must start simultaneously when the pressure in the gasline falls to the value at which the control shaft starts rotating. Thecentrifugal governor associated with the control shaft causes thecontrol shaft to rotate at a substantially constant speed, whichdetermines the speed of descent of the motor weights on the generatorsand therefore the rate at which carbide is fed into all the generators.Since no motor weight can descend any faster .than permitted by therotation of the control shaft, all of the motor weights descend at thesame speed and therefore all of the carbide feed mechanisms are operatedat the same speed once they have been simultaneously started. In orderthat no motor weight will tend to descend slower than another thecentrifugal governors of the control shaft and the carbide feed motorsare preferably so adjusted that each motor weight is permitted by itsown motor governor to descend as fast as the control shaft will permit.

when the pressure in the gas line rises a small amount to apredetermined maximum, the regulator 42 applies the brake to the controlshaft and arrests its rotation to simultaneously stop all of the carbidefeed motors. However, during rotation of the control shaft if the gaspressure in any generator should become excessive due to some unusualcircumstance, that generators individual pressure responsive mechanismwill stop its weight motor to discontinue the feeding of carbide.- Thecorresponding sprocket 28 on the control shaft will then remainstationary while the pawl and ratchet mechanism. 30-3! permits thecontrol shaft to continue its rotation.

Thus when the carbide feed mechanisms of the generators are oncesynchronized, asillustrated in Fig. 1, they will continue to operate inthe desired synchronism. The carbide charges in the generators will thencontinue to become exhausted in regular sequence and in rotation, thus.allowing the operator to devote sufficient time to recharging andotherwise reconditioning each exhausted generator and insuring thatthere will always be a suflicient number of generators in operation tomeet the demand for acetylene and thereby avoid'overloading thegenerators. It will I be understood that before a recharged generator isconnected back to the gas line the operator will have wound up itsweight-motor and this lifts the weight from its low position (occupiedby the weight of generator No. l in Fig. 1) to its high position(occupied by the weight of generator No.

.4). Of course the sequence in which the generators become successivelyexhausted and require recharging may be different from that illustratedin Fig. 1. That is, it makes no difference whether the generator thatneeds recharging next after 1 to rotate the shaft and can be utilizedfor this purpose. In this caseit would only be necessary to control thespeed of rotation of the shaft, as

by means of its centrifugal governor 40, and to provide a masterregulator, such as the regulator 42, for starting and stopping the shaftin accordance with the acetylene pressure in the gas line.

' While there has been shown and described a form of common controlmeans thatis well suited for use with generator carbide feed mechanismsof the weight-motor operated type, the common and when oncesimultaneously started to operate at substantially the same speed.

I claim:

1. In a battery of acetylene generators all of which are connected to asingle gas line and each of which has a carbide feed motor and pressureresponsive means subject to the pressure of the acetylene gas in thegenerator intended to control the starting and stopping of the. feedmotor, the improvement which comprises pressure responsive means subjectto the pressure of the acetylene gas in said line, and means controlledby said last-named pressure responsive means and adapted to effectsimultaneous starting and stopping of the carbide feed motors of all ofthe generators.

2. In a battery of acetylene generators all connected to a single gasline and each of which has a carbide feed motor, the improvement whichcomprisesrotary means coupled to all of theieed motors, means forcausing said last-named means to rotate at a substantially constantspeed, pressure responsive means subject to the pressure of theacetylene gas in said line, and means controlled by said pressureresponsive means for effecting starting and stopping of said rotarymeans.

3. In a battery of acetylene generators all connected to a single gasline and each of which has a carbide feed motor and pressure responsivemeans subject to the pressure of the acetylene gas in the generatorintended to cause the feed ,motor to start when the pressure of the gasin means on each generator is set for the purpose of causing its feedmotor to start.

4. In abattery of acetylene generators each of which is connected to acommon gas line by valve means which permits it to be either shut offfrom the gas line or placed in communication with it, and each of whichgenerators has a weight operated carbide feed motor and pressureresponsive meanssubject to the pressure of the acetylene gas in thegenerator intended to cause the feed motor to start when the pressure ofthe gas in the generator falls to a predetermined level, the improvementwhich comprises a rotary shaft extending over all the generators andoperatively connected to all of the weights of the feed motors so thatthe weights tend to rotate the shaft and so that when the shaft is notrotating none of the weights can descend, and mechanism responsive tothe pressure of the acetylene gas in said line and adapted to permitsaid shaft to start rotating at a gas pressure which is lower than thatfor which the pressure responsive means on each generator is set for thepurpose of causing its feed'motor to start.

5. In a battery of acetylene generators each of which is connected to asingle gas line and each of which has a weight-operated carbide feedmotor and pressure responsive means subject to the pressure of theacetylene gas in the generator intended to control the starting andstopping of the feed motor, the improvement which comprises a rotatableshaft extending along all of the generators, a plurality of sprocketsloosely mounted on said shaft, there being one of such sprockets foreach generator, a ratchet and pawl connection between each sprocket andsaid shaft, a chain passing over each sprocket and operatively connectedto the weight of the feed motor of the corresponding generator, agovernor for controlling the speed of rotation of said shaft, pressureresponsive means subject to the pressure of the acetylene gas in saidline, and means controlled by said last-named pressure responsive meansfor controlling the starting and stopping of said shaft.

6. In a battery of acetylene generators each of which is connected to asingle gas line and each of which has a weight-operated carbide feedmotor provided with a centrifugal speed control governor and pressureresponsive means subject to the pressure of the acetylene gas in thegenerator intended to control the starting and stopping of the feedmotor, the improvement which comprises a rotatable shaft extending alongall of the generators, a plurality of sprockets loosely mounted on saidshaft, there being one of such sprocketsfor each generator, a ratchetandpawl connection between each sprocket and said shaft, a chain passingover each sprocket and operatively connected at one end to the weight ofthe feed motor of the corresponding generator, a tension weightconnected to the other end of each chain, a centrifugal governor forcontrolling the speed of rotation of said shaft, pressure responsivemeans subject to the pressure of the acetylene gas in said line, andbrake mechanism controlled by said last-named pressure responsive meansfor controlling the starting and stopping of the shaft.

'7. The improvement as set forth in claim 5 in which said rotatableshaft is provided with its own weight motor for rotating it.

8. In a battery of acetylene generators connected to a single gas lineand having weightoperated carbide feed motors whose weights are all atdifferent levels, the improvement which comprises a rotary shaftextending over all of the generators and operatively connected to theweights of all of the motors so that the weights tend to rotate theshaft and so' that when the shaft is not rotating none of the weightscan descend, meanszfor controlling the speed of rotation of the shaft tocause it to rotate at substantially constant speed which determines thespeed of descent of all of the motor weights, and pressure responsivemeans subject to the pressure of the acetylene gas in said gas line forholding said shaft against rotation when the pressure in said line is ata predetermined level and for permitting the shaft to rotate when thepressure in said line falls a predetermined amount, whereby the motorweights are caused to reach the low point of their descent in sequence.D

9. The combination with a battery of acetylene generators all connectedto a single gas line and each of which has a carbide feed means and drivass-mos ing means therefor, of means controlled by the pressure of theacetylene gas in said line, said last-mentioned means being operativelyconnected to the driving means oi each of the carbide feed means foroperatively controlling said driving means.

10. The combination with a battery of acetylene generators all connectedto a single gas line and each of which has a carbide feed motor anddriving means therefor, of means controlled by the pressure of theacetylene gas in said line, said last-mentioned means being operatlvelyconnected to the driving means of each of the carbide feed,

of the acetylene gas in said line and operatlvely controlling thedriving means of the carbide feed means to eil'ect substantiallysimultaneous starting and stopping oi said carbide feed means inaccordance with the magnitude of the gas pressure in the line.

12. The combination with a battery of acetylene generators all connectedto a single gas line and each of which has a carbide feed motor anddriving means therefor, of common control means operatively connected tothe driving means of each of the carbide feed motors, said commoncontrol means being controlled by the pressure of the acetylene gas insaid line and operatively controlling the driving means of the carbideieed motors to eflect substantially simultaneous starting and stoppingoi said carbide teed motors in sure in the line and to cause all of themotors to operate at substantially the same speed.

18. The combination with a battery of acetylene generators all connectedto a single gas line and each of which has a carbide feed, motor anddriving means therefor, of pressure responsive means subject to thepressure of the acetylene gas in said line, and means controlled by saidpressure responsive means and operatively connected to the driving meansof each of the carbide feed motors for operatively controlling saiddriving means of the carbide feed motors of all of the generators.

14. A battery of acetylene generators connected to a single gas line,carbide feed means for each of said generators, at weight-motor foroperating each oi said carbide feed means, the weights of the motors foroperating the feed means of the several generators being at differentlevels, pressure responsive means subject to the pressure of theacetylene gas in said gas line, and means controlled by said pressureresponsive means and operatively connected to the motor weights forsubstantially simultaneously starting and stopplug the descent of saidmotor weights to assure that they reach the low point of their descentin sequence.

HARRY HOOPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ilie 01'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,234,161 Harris July 24, 19171,505,706 Harris Apr. 19, 1924 1,880,225 Boley May 24, 1932 2,005,084Deming June 29, 1937 40 .268.858 Tuel et al. Nov, 25, 1941 accordancewith the magnitude of the gas pres- 2,402,523 Siver June 18, 1946

